Hey , yeah I have a small portable forge and I cast iron metal bender which I usually use to do it on. The metal bender is on a pedestal and bolted to the ground. Defo not an operation I can make mobile , only other way you could do it would be using my blacksmith vice and anvil , again really not something that can be mobile! As I said sometime I need to be able to weld slightly different shapes etc which simple bending can’t achieve.
- Thread starter Joeyg
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Hi Steve , no it was what they had access to years ago , a lot of the time straps were re purposes from old cartwheel bands, BUT without a doubt wrought iron does look best !
You are correct that completing the flat corner plate code is only a minimum requirement for welding skills. In most cases, the welder performs the work according to the instructions of the welding coordinator or tester. However, I believe that it is important to understand the principles of welding and to be able to independently solve problems that may arise during the welding process.Don't take it personal mate, but passing a flat fillet plate code is really the minimum requirement of welding skill. What about positional welds, or upside down in the muck, or all the other crap that you have to do to get the job done, are they xray quality too?
Half the time the welder doesn't even design or set up the test. If you don't know it yourself, you're relying on a welding coordinator or the testing guy to help you out with setup. The little tips and tricks that help with passing are learned over time and years and by consistently trying to get better.
At least you're on the right track and I'm sure you'll pass the next test no bother.
You probably don't even need a new welding machine. But having the best gear does help here
hotponyshoes
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For mobile use, what about building a small hydraulic press. Something using a bottle jack and a vee block for the bottom tool would be easy/cheap to make.
If you just build it to the biggest size bar you use it should be fairly compact, easy to take onto site and won't need fixing down to anything.
Regarding inverters, a decent one will put out 100a each time you set the dial to 100a. The cheap ones can be a bit of a lottery as to how well they are calibrated and how repeatable they are.
Decent ones are also a lot kinder on the power supply. You will find them a lot easier to run from a generator or on the end of a long 13a extension lead than a cheap one.
They are generally happy using long welding leads as well which means you can leave the expensive machine sitting safely away from the sparks/splatter and the grinding dust.
Although they might have a 180a rating compared to a cheap 220a machine you'll find they will actually give the stated power and generally have a much better duty cycle.
So you have much more chance of doing multiple multi-pass welds without the machine overheating and cutting out.
If you are looking for an upgrade and don't mind a used machine I've got an ewm pico 162mv that's for sale. Comes with some fancy features like arcforce, hotstart & antistick that just make things a bit easier.
Nice and compact for site use.
Or, if you only ever use it in the workshop and size is not an issue don't overlook an old oil filled unit. Use a bit more electric than the modern ones but are pretty bullet proof. They are also cheap as chips and if they do ever go wrong you'll get 90% of what you paid back in scrap money!
If you just build it to the biggest size bar you use it should be fairly compact, easy to take onto site and won't need fixing down to anything.
Regarding inverters, a decent one will put out 100a each time you set the dial to 100a. The cheap ones can be a bit of a lottery as to how well they are calibrated and how repeatable they are.
Decent ones are also a lot kinder on the power supply. You will find them a lot easier to run from a generator or on the end of a long 13a extension lead than a cheap one.
They are generally happy using long welding leads as well which means you can leave the expensive machine sitting safely away from the sparks/splatter and the grinding dust.
Although they might have a 180a rating compared to a cheap 220a machine you'll find they will actually give the stated power and generally have a much better duty cycle.
So you have much more chance of doing multiple multi-pass welds without the machine overheating and cutting out.
If you are looking for an upgrade and don't mind a used machine I've got an ewm pico 162mv that's for sale. Comes with some fancy features like arcforce, hotstart & antistick that just make things a bit easier.
Nice and compact for site use.
Or, if you only ever use it in the workshop and size is not an issue don't overlook an old oil filled unit. Use a bit more electric than the modern ones but are pretty bullet proof. They are also cheap as chips and if they do ever go wrong you'll get 90% of what you paid back in scrap money!
123hotchef
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or get a mirical bender, mine bends 10mm bar no problem.
dieselsamurai
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Yeah I have one and dead easy and portable
Munkul
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All of this I agree with, except the last bit about oil filled - most of them are AC only and most 7018 won't run right on them. Plus they're not as easy to use as an inverter.
That EWM pico would be the perfect machine for the OP
hotponyshoes
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All of this I agree with, except the last bit about oil filled - most of them are AC only and most 7018 won't run right on them. Plus they're not as easy to use as an inverter.
That EWM pico would be the perfect machine for the OP
Good point.
I read his first post and thought "I've got one that will run 7018 nicely" then forgot he was using 7018 by the time I got to the next paragraph...
Thanks for all the replies guys I think what I am going to do is look at going back to college and do my level 2 and progress from there. Thing is I really do enjoy welding and engineering in general. It’s just bloody irritating when you’re having to teach yourself as it makes it a bumpy learning curve. To be honest in the future I may look at changing job roles. Thing with restoration work is that it’s filthy, everything is generally ducked that work on, everything is a stretch and you have to be in an awkward position to work on, you need a million tools, all the materials are heavy as hell. I have to take on so many different trades within my work.
Then sometimes I think man it would be nice to focus on one thing , be relatively clean at the end of the day compared to my work ( when you take down a lath and plaster ceiling you’ve never seen so much **** in all your life ) or maybe I’m just dreaming too much and 29 is too old to start thinking about it ? I used to be a tattooist and have very steady hands and an obsessively good eye for detail
Then sometimes I think man it would be nice to focus on one thing , be relatively clean at the end of the day compared to my work ( when you take down a lath and plaster ceiling you’ve never seen so much **** in all your life ) or maybe I’m just dreaming too much and 29 is too old to start thinking about it ? I used to be a tattooist and have very steady hands and an obsessively good eye for detail
Do you have any pictures of your machine ? I’m a bit wary about buying used electrical items I have had a real bad experience before !
hotponyshoes
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It's pretty tidy.
It does tig as well and I'm sure I've got the tig torch for it somewhere.
I'm Frome, Somerset if you want to have a look/try it out.
Looks really nice and clean!
Sorry I completely forget to ask what is your asking price for it ? Feel free to pm me ! All the best , Joe
Memmeddu
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I can't disagree, electrodes make the difference, I've bought cheap , really not so much to be honest ,but anyway unbranded rods from my local ironmongery and were/are rubbish, I'm not even sure if I still have some.
I've been satisfied with Lincoln 7018's but currently using Esab (because I've bought 20kg in small vackpak packages)
Current I run between 85A and 95A while using 2.5mm rods whatever position I'm working on .
About the welder, I'm not sure ,stick welding wise I'm not going to say you need an high end welder
Was the weld down to be stress tested. Looks a fine job. I think the tester was on commission for welding set sale's
